Suspects sought in Jersey City robberies

A young man, trying to help out a friend was robbed and pistol whipped while working at a corner deli in Jersey City earlier this month.

It was just before 8 pm on November 11th, when the two gunmen entered the back of the Carlton Deli and demanded money. They then struck the clerk on the head with the handle of a gun, all while they cleaned out the register and the lottery drawer. It would not be their only stop.

"I walked to the store; the robbery was already going on. They said, 'GET OVER HERE!!'" John Pelli said.

Pelli is legally blind. He was a customer inside KJ's Deli, less than 3 miles from the first store robbed. Not even 10 minutes later, the suspects robbed KJ's and then spotted John's thick gold chains around his neck.

"I was holding the chains. I said, 'These were my fathers, and he just died.' The guy said, 'Well, tell your father to rest in peace.' The other guy came behind me and ripped them off my neck," Pelli said.

Police do not have a clear shot of the man in the red jacket, who went so far as to walk backwards apparently to avoid his face being captured on camera.

The men also made sure to cover their tracks outside the store. A witness told police their dark SUV had no license plates, and they used a towel to cover the side windows so you could not see inside.

The getaway car may be a dark green Ford Explorer and the two men are still on the loose.